Guild of Kindred Souls ( Fairy Tail Bleach )
by Mister Nailbrain
Summary: Investigating a disturbance just outside of Magnolia, the Fairy Tale guild make a terrifying discovery. Sundered by a spell of immense magnitude, the veil between the soul society and the mortal plane is now thinner than ever and with it, strange creatures enter their world, intent on slaughter and mayhem.
1. Prologue

Thunder clouds rolled thick in the sky as the cloaked figure made his way toward the ruins. The stuff of raw magic permeated the very air, causing the man's hair to stand on end. Footsteps echoed off the ancient stone as he descended a flight of steps into the dark catacombs beneath.  
Standing either side of the entrance to the dark below, two stone statues, each older than even the monoliths above. Each statue depicted a warrior with his hands resting on the pommel of his sword. The armour of the statues was strange and outlandish, compromised of apparent metal plates that would over lock at intervals and joints, crowned by a helmet concealing their faces with no more than two narrow slits allowing the would be wearer to see the outside world.  
Yet time had not been kind to the statues. Centuries of neglect and rain had eroded away much of the once carefully crafted masonry, which artisans had spent their lives working on. Stones had fallen and we're riddled with pock marks. Nestled within cracks in the stonework, spiders crawled out as if to inspect the newcomer.  
Despite the outward appearance of decay and ruin however, the figure remained as alert as only one who is in a place he knows he shouldn't be can be. The ancient warriors of the west had been careful in the laying down of their traps. Even though those who had cast the protective seals of the catacombs had long passed into legend, their creations were still as potent as the day they had been set into the stone itself.  
It had taken almost fifteen years of blood, sweat and tears that had led the figure up to this moment. Travelling to all corners of the world, he had been forced to negotiate, barter and even fight with every last drop of his skills to get this far. Twisting his face into a sneer, he remembered how the old man had to resist his powers. Foolish old goat. It had been futile. True, it had taken weeks of interrogation but he had finally "convinced" to impart his knowledge onto him.  
Now to find out if it had all been worth it.  
Passing through the shadow of statues, the figure felt a unnatural feeling of dread. It was though those ancient sentinels saw him and disapproved of his presence. Pushing them out of his mind the figure studied the intricate carvings set into the walls. One misstep here would ruin everything.  
Quietly muttering an incantation, the figure waved his hand out across him. Violet light flared from his hand, engulfing the corridor with an eerie illuminance. With another arcaic syllable, the glow leapt from the sorceror's outstretched palm and flew down the corridor before terminating in a spectacular pulse of light. Suddenly, the passage was a lit as like an eagle's eye spotting the slight rustle betray light the location of a cowering field mouse, the flare revealed a vast network of magic strands, interwoven across the corridor like a monstrous spider's web.  
Allowing a smirk to spread itself across his face, the figure slowly walked up to the first strand. Once again he outstretched his hand but this uttered a different spell. For a split second, the strand of light flared before seemingly unravelling itself and dying out.  
Repeating the process at each strand, the mage made his way slowly down the corridor until he finally reached a chamber on the far side. Seemingly as derelict as the rest of the ruins, the chamber was a dire state of disrepair. Only one part remained untouched by the cruel clutches of time. An altar, on top of which was presented a blade of unsurpassed beauty.  
Gleaming in what little light made its way into the chamber, the long, curved blade had was not rusted in the slightest. Instead it remained as perfect as the day of its forging. No dust settled on it, as though it deliberately the weapon. Crafted in ivory, the pommel of the blade resembled an outstretched skeletal hand with long, clawed fingers.  
" At last," The figure whispered to himself, stepping up to the altar. Grabbing the sword from its pedestal, he slashed the air slowly, listening to the ring of metal as the steel cut through the air. Now they would have to listen to him. Now those fools would see. Now they would pay.  
Yelling out another dark incantation, the figure thrust out the relic. Now crackling with the dark energies of the spell, the blade jolted suddenly as though met with some force of resistance. Sneering the mage took the handle in a two handed grip and pulled down. Following the gut of the blade, a fissure compromised of pitch black appeared. For a split second, happened. Then a shadowed hand seemingly detached itself from the darkness, pulling itself by long, slender talons.  
As more and more shapes ripped themselves from the fissure in the fabric of reality and danced in the shadows filling the chamber. Let loose to a manical laugh, the mage let the sword fall to his side. With the power now at his command, he would snuff out all resistance like a flickering candle in a black whirlwind.

Then the world would be his for the taking.


	2. A Disturbance

Fluttering lifelessly in the breeze, a newspaper looped in the air before coming to a gentle rest at the feet of the red haired mage. Stood watching the clouds, Erza mused quietly, gently kicking aside the paper.

It had been merely days ago that she and the rest of Team Natsu had been forced to destroy the ancient weapon Nirvana and in so doing defeat the naferious members of the Oracion Seis. True to form, the mage of the Fairy Tail guild had managed to not only save Caitshelter and countless others from the devastating magic of Nirvana but had also managed to gain two new members in the form of the sky dragon slayer Wendy and the exceed Carla.  
But had it all been worth it? To that question could not necessarily find an immediate answer. Despite their efforts, the members of Caitshelter had still disappeared on the winds of time of their own accord now that the danger of Nirvana was forever lost. Sadly this had left the young Wendy and Carla homeless and although the duo had made themselves right at home in Fairy Tail, Erza didn't need to be a telepath to realise that the two missed their guild.  
There had been another loss during the campaign against the Oracion Seis, although this one Erza did her best not to think about for fear of being overwhelmed by emmotion (something Erza took a very dim view of indeed). Jallal Fernandes, despite doing everything within his power to aid her and her comrades, had been forced to submit to the authority of the magic council. It had been Erza who had been forced to let them take her childhood friend away for fear of the forces of the Council arresting her friends for life for the crime of aiding a fugitive resist arrest. Knowing that did not make the pill any easier to swallow.  
" Hey Erza, why the long face?"  
The familiar face was immediately accompanied by the fluttering of small feathered wings. Taking a seat next to his friend, Happy looked up at Erza with a concerned look upon his face. Shaking her head, Erza slowly turned to the small blue cat.  
"It is none of your concern Happy." She said dismissively. For a split second, Happy looked like he was about to say otherwise before choosing to remain silent. If Erza didn't want to share her grief, there was literally nothing he could do to convince her otherwise. Instead he shrugged and followed her gaze up towards the sky.  
"Whatever you say," he mewed, "Anyway, I came to tell you that the others and I were showing Wendy and Carla around when. .."  
Interupting Happy before he could finish, an explosion rocked the street, followed by two voices loudly jeering at each other. Erza cursed silently to herself. There was only two people she knew that could cause that much of a commotion in so short a suspicions were confirmed only seconds later when Grey was sent flying through the air past her and into a market stall, smashing several melons to a mushy pulp.  
"I'll get you back for that you pink haired freak!" The ice mage growled springing to his feet, an pale blue vapour trailing from his hands.  
"Oh yeah like that's going to happen," smirked a pale red teen boy snorted as he came running in, "Face it Ice for Brains, I'm better. "  
"Never! _Ice make floor!"_ Slamming his fist to the cobblestones, Grey exerted his magic, causing a vast sheet of ice to rapidly form underfoot. Unable to gain a stable footing, Natsu skidded uncontrollably, his arms flailing like a mad man as he crashed ungraciously into a nearby wall.  
Not allowing Natsu the chance to recover, Grey conjured several icicles from thin air and sent them flying at his adversary. Embedding themselves into the wall, the frozen projectiles pinned the hapless Natsu in place by his clothes. Infuriated, the fire dragon slayer ignited his hands, melting the icicles to puddles on the ground.  
"We thought we might find them here," Lucy remarked as she, Wendy and Carla came running over to join Erza and Happy.  
"What set them off this time?" Erza inquired, although she knew it was pointless asking. The two males had had a long standing rivalry that could kick off at any moment.  
"Heavens if I know," Carla rolled her eyes imperiously, "One minute we were enjoying a stroll in the sunshine and then these two hooligans just went up in arms. How childish."  
"Well boys will be boys," Lucy shrugged, "And you know what Natsu and Grey are like. They'd probably batter each other for a single yen."  
" Perhaps but this little game of theirs ends now!" Erza growled, marching over to the two males. Eyes burning with fires more potent than the depths of hell, the hot blooded red head yanked the two males apart roughly by the hair. Instantly realising what was happening, Natsu and Grey immediately went dead still, fear flashing in their eyes.  
"You two better have a good excuse for this!" Erza's voice was level but the boys only too well heard the menace within the words. An anger that could make even the boldest of mages quake in their boots begging for mercy.  
"Grey started it.." Natsu blabbed immediately, hoping to direct Erza's anger away from himself.  
"Oh sure throw me under the bus," Grey retorted.  
" Enough!" Roared Erza instantly silencing the two, "I don't care who started it, I'm _finishing_ it! This is no way to behave in front of two new guild members. And if you morons can't get that into your skulls, I guess I'll have to ..."  
Suddenly the air around them pulsed and there was a sound similar to a single heartbeat. The surprise caused Erza to drop Natsu and Grey as a feeling of inexplicable dread settied upon them. Although she couldn't explain it, Erza felt as though something was wrong, although what exactly that was, she couldn't say for sure.  
"What was that?" Lucy squeaked, her hazel eyes darting from side to side nervously.  
"A tremor? " Natsu prompted, although he didn't sound hopeful.  
" I don't think so," Grey replied grimly , his quarrel with the dragon slayer temporarily forgotten, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that felt like less of a natural occurrence and more like a magical one."  
No sooner than had Grey said this than an explosion rock the street followed by loud screaming. Casting their gazes over in the direction of the disturbance, the mages saw people fleeing in terror of the fearful creatures behind them.  
The creatures, whatever they were, were lanky in stature with long, spindly arms that at a glance looked entirely disproportionate to their build. Their skin was a shade of black darker than a killer's heart. Striding through the chaos like some abhorrent predators from before the dawn of time, the creatures turned and snarled. As though to mirror their remorseless nature, the things bore each a gaping wound in their chest, making them heartless in both the literal and metaphorical senses of the word.  
Perhaps most disturbing of all were there faces. These were not the faces of any mortal, nor were they snarling bestial faces that resembled the daemons of legend. Erza thought they would have looked less frightening if they did. No, instead the creatures seemed to be wearing masks of bone that gave them a look of permanent and inhuman rage. Only their eyes were visible. Those terrible, amber eyes that burned with a hatred for all living things.  
"What the hell is that?" Lucy exclaimed.  
"Heck if I know," Natsu growled and ignited his hands with golden flames, "But I'll be damned if they're doing any more damage."  
"Agreed," Grey nodded, stretching his neck.  
Closing her eyes, Erza reached out with her powers and requipped to her Heaven's Wheel armour, a magnificent set comprised of steel polished to the point that it mirrored silver, crowed by a majestic pair of angelic wings. Clutching a bastard sword firmly in each hand, the crimson haired mage dropped to a defensive stance.  
For a few terrible moments, there was silence. Eyes narrowed to little more than slits, the creatures stalked back and forth, like hunters studying their prey for weakness. Every now and again, they would crouch and grip the ground as though preparing to pounce before deciding better of it and returning to their bipedal stance as though in a twisted mockery of humanity.  
Then it happened. Screaming at the top of his lungs, Natsu charged towards the things followed half a heartbeat later by Grey. Snarling, one of the creatures leapt intent on rending the young dragon slayer and ice mage apart with its cruel claws, only to be met with a blast of heat and spears of ice.  
Adjusting her grip on her blades, Erza snapped her head back to Lucy, Happy, Wendy and Carla.  
" Stay back, " she ordered, "At least until we know what we are dealing with."  
Knowing that neither of the girls was foolish enough to disobey her, Erza leapt at the second creature. Bringing her blades around in an expertly executed arc, Erza felt their steel bite into the creature's arms as it tried to ward off the attacks from the red haired devil. The thing roared in anguish and attempted a swipe at Erza but she easily evaded the clumsy blow. As if seeking to the ghast's enraged state, Erza then preceeded to press her attack, her twin blades becoming a blur of silver as they snaked and slashed at the beast. Foul, black ichor gushed from fresh wounds, causing the thing to reel back, howling like a wounded animal but somehow sounding nowhere near as pitiful.  
Snarling, it lunged at Erza, claws glinting in the midday sun. Muscles tense, the crimson haired mage leapt nimbly upwards. To the untrained eye, it may have appeared that she had jumped on instinct, narrowly avoiding death by a hair length. But in truth Erza had calculated it perfectly. Twisting flawlessly mid-air, she descended like a winged comet. The creature barely had enough time to register what was happening before Erza's blades came slicing down, biting through its neck and severing it's foul head from its shoulders.  
Landing with a grace that belied the weight of her armour, Erza slowly turned to face the creature. Upon doing so she almost recoiled as she witnessed the creatures mangled and mutilated body evaporate into whisks of foul, sable smoke that drifted away on the breeze. Only the shattered fragments of the mask were left behind.  
With an unmistakable yell, Erza heard Natsu unleash the full power of his Fire Dragon roar upon the second creature. The thing flailed madly as the flames struck it and burnt at its skin before, like the first, it too disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.  
"They're gone," The dragon slayer panted, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.  
"Shame," Grey replied, "I could have used a longer work out."  
"Be careful what you wish for Master Grey," Carla said floating over on her wings.  
"What do you mean? " Erza inquired, wiping the black blood from her swords.  
"We heard the sounds of fighting coming from the square!" Wendy said running up followed closely by Happy amd Lucy. " It sounds pretty bad."  
Damn, Erza thought, as if one battle wasn't enough for one day, now they had to face the prospect of a full on invasion from these...these. ..things.  
"Well that's good to hear because I've got a fire in my belly that a good brawl would settle," Natsu smirked before turning to Happy. "Take Wendy and Carla back to the guild and warn the others."  
" Aye sir!" The exceed nodded before soaring off towards the Fairy Tail guild hall with Carla and Wendy in hot pursuit.  
No sooner than had he sent them off, than had Natsu veered off towards the square with Lucy and Grey following on their close of their heels, neither keen to miss out on the upcoming rumble.  
Holding back for a while, Erza mused quietly to herself. She had never heard of anything that had come close to matching their description. And when she had fought them, she couldn't explain it but they felt wrong, as though they didn't belong in this world. Perhaps they didn't.  
Shaking her head, Erza broke into a sprint. Whether or not these creatures belonged in this world or were some supernatural phenomenon was irrelevant. All she needed to know was that they were on the loose and threatening the lives of the peopleshe had sworn to protect.  
That was something that Erza Scarlet would not allow


	3. The Soul Reapers

Juvia ducked as one the creatures picked up a market stall and sent it hurtling towards her. Cursing silently to herself, Juvia extended her arm and torrent of gushing water surging towards the gangly creature. Spluttering in a foul tongue, the thing reeled back, unable to gain a footing. Adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream, Juvia cast a water slicer, cutting the apparition across the mid section, eliciting a screch of agony that shook the heavens.  
So focussed was she on her target, that Juvia had no idea of what was creaping up behind her. The first she was aware of the creature was when its fist slammed into her back. Juvia gasped for air as she felt the air knocked out of her lungs almost entirely. Crashing ungracefully to the ground, Juvia hissed in pain as she felt her own scarlet blood trickle down her face as she shakily attempted to stand back on her feet only to fall back down as she was overwhelmed by pain. The creatures loped over and twisted their faces into what Juvia percieved to be a sadistic smirk. Given the chance, she would have summoned a tidal wave to wipe the look from their abhorrent faces. But she was too drained of energy to raise a finger.  
In a flash one of the things grabbed Juvia and raised her to his mouth. The other smaller creature protested but was silenced by a threatening hiss from his larger counterpart. Then it opened its fang filled maw and out of it, flowed a sepulchral voice as dry as the scouring sand of the desert dunes.  
" I can smell the strength of your soul," It hissed, "That must be why you can see me. Ah such pain and loss in your life, it will serve to make devouring you all the sweeter my dear."  
"Juvia hopes you choke!" The blue haired belle spat venomously.  
Chuckling with a sound comparable to a man being sucked into a marsh, the thing slowly opened its mouth. Thrashing and beating her fists wildly, Juvia struggled against the monster's vice like grip as its foetid breath hit her like a blow. It smelled like rotting meat and decay. It smelled like death.  
A flash of steel and suddenly Juvia felt herself fall to the ground with an unceremonious thud. A loud and terrible roar filled the air forcing Juvia to cover her ears. Looking up, Juvia saw the monster that had had her, roaring in agony as it clutched as stump where only until now it remembered having an arm. Foul black fluid gushed from the wound, hissing as it hit the floor an evaporated into thin air.  
A figure now stood between Juvia's fallen form and the two lumbering creatures. Wearing an ebony kimono of archaic design that flowed lightly in the breeze, the male took up a defensive stance. His hair was a brilliant shade of orange. Held firmly within his hands was the largest sword Juvia had ever seen. The cold steel glinted as it caught the sunlight, the blade angled toward the things.  
"Didn't anyone tell you about not picking on anyone not your own size?!" he yelled, lunging at the nearest creature. Swinging is sword in a expertly executed arc, the newcomer cleaved a large opening in the creature's skin.  
Rushing to her feet in order to help him, Juvia yelped as she was yanked to the floor. Groaning as she rubbed her her, the girl heard a faint metallic jingling as well as a weight on her chest. As she looked down, she gave a loud gasp as she saw a chain attached to her chest. Following the chain back to its source, Juvia nearly screamed had she not been made of stronger stuff. There laying amongst the wreckage of , what Juvia assumed to be, a market stall was her own body. What did this mean? Was she dead? No, impossible. Was it a dream? But it felt so real.  
" Get out of here!" she faintly heard the voice of the orange haired stranger. Turning around, Juvia saw the second creature crawling towards her, its legs rendered useless after the water mage's earlier attack. Lashing out with one of its clawed arms, it snatched a hold of Juvia's legs and tried to drag her towards it.  
Then everything went loud as several more figures entered the fray. Although it was somewhat faint, Juvia could have sworn that she heard her beloved Grey's amongst them. As if on que, the creature screeched as a long, jagged shard of ice erupted from its forehead. Craning her neck, Juvia tried to see her saviour only to have her view blocked.  
Glancing upwards, Juvia saw that the figure was wearing the same kimono as the boy before. This figure however was a girl with raven hair and violet eyes that looked down at Juvia with sympathy. Opening her mouth, Juvia made to ask a question but the words died on her mouth as the girl hit the pommel hard against the water mage's forehead. Falling back, Juvia felt the darkness flood in and consume her.

 _"Back away from her! She's our friend."  
"And if you want her to be fine, you won't interfere with our work!"  
"Hush. I think she's waking up."_  
Juvia groaned as she forced one sapphire eye open then the other. The light briefly filled her vision causing her to blink rapidly to restore her sight. Only then did she blush as her eyes were met with Grey as he supported her prone form. The ice mage looked down at her with a worried expression as did his friends.  
"Are you alright Juvia? Can you walk?" he asked.  
" Juvia thinks so. " she nodded and stiffly got to her feet. Glancing around her, Juvia found no sign of those creatures but she did however, notice the two figures clad in black robes standing not too away. The two warriors watched her and the other mages calmly despite the somewhat hostile way that they, Erza in particular were staring back at them.  
" Back away from her." Grey snapped at the figures, stepping in front of Juvia (causing her to blush to no small degree).  
"Relax alright," The male rolled his eyes, "If we wanted her dead, we would have left her to the hollows."  
" Hollows?" Natsu mused before his eyes widening suddenly, "Wait is that what those things were?"  
"Indeed," replied the female of the two, stepping forth, "My associate and I are soul reapers. It is our job to guide the souls of the departed to the soul society and to absolve a hollow of its sins by slaying it with our Zanpaktos. " She patted the hilt of her blade which, unlike her companion's, was now resting safely in its scabbard.  
" That just raises more questions than it answers, " Lucy muttered shaking her head.  
" Allow me to explain then," sighed the girl bringing out a notepad and pencil. " There are two worlds, the mortal world and the soul society. " For this she had drawn two circles to represent the two worlds with crudely drawn bunnies to represent their inhabitants. " When a soul leaves a departed body, it is our job to escort it to the soul society or the afterlife or heaven, whatever you prefer to call it."  
"But some souls are left behind and corrupted into hollows." She said drawing some bunnies with mean faces. At least that's what Juvia thought they were, (the art left much to be desired), "Hollows prey on spirits in the mortal realm, corrupting them to hollows in the process. As long as the chain of fates remains attached from the body to the soul however, the person can be restored." Juvia clutched her chest where she had felt the chain and he girl nodded. "When not in the mortal world, hollows hide in the immaterrium between here and the soul society making them impossible to track."  
"But when they do, then we make it our business to hunt them down," The male spoke this time. " By attacking the head with a Zanpakto, we absolve the hollow of its sins allowing it to pass into the soul society. "  
"So basically your swords reset them to factory settings or something? " asked Natsu scratching his head. The girl turned and looked at him for a moment.  
" A crude interpretation of the process but accurate."  
Erza, who up until now had said nothing, sheathed her bastard swords amd changed back to her casual attire. The look upon the ginger male's face was one of bewilderment while his comrade seemed a little less impressed. Walking over, Erza quietly offered her hand to the so called soul reapers.  
" You have our thanks for saving our comrade. I am Erza Scarlet of the Fairy Tail guild and this is Lucy Heartfilia, Grey Fulbuster, Natsu Dragneel, and I believe you have already met Juvia Lockser. We would be honoured to aid you in anyway we can."  
"Now wait just a minute..." Natsu made to protest but was silenced by a hard stare from Erza. Glancing at each other uncertainly, the soul reapers shrugged before the male extended his arm ad grasped Erza's shaking it firmly.  
" Ichigo Kurosaki and this is Rukia Kuckii," he gestured to the eboy haired girl with his free arm, " And we accept your help. For now.."


	4. The guild hall

Rukia Kuchiki glanced over her shoulder back at Ichigo as the Soul Reapers walked steadily alongside the mages. Currently she was unsure whether or not to trust these strangers, their power against the hollows was undeniable but that didn't necessarily mean that they would readily become allies. From the look of wariness in his eyes, Rukia could tell that her friend felt the same. Secrecy would be the best policy for the time being; the less these sorcerers knew, the better.  
Ahead of them, Rukia saw a magnificent building that dominated the skyline. Ornately crafted statues and glyphs adorned the towering building as they approached. Its many towers and turrets leant it the appearance of a formidable fortress but that was not what caused Rukia's hair to stand up on end. The very air seemed saturated with magical energy as the very power of the universe rippled and flowed through the very stonework of the guild hall. Emblazoned upon several banners hanging from the many balconies was the fiery red insignia of the Fairy Tail guild.  
Walking cautiously into the shadow of the guild hall, Rukia glanced at the mages. The blonde haired one named Lucy she had learnt was the most cheerful of the group and was certainly the life of the group. On the other hand, the pink haired male by the name of Natsu seemed to have an intense rivalry with the ice mage, Grey Fullbuster, which had almost literally flared up on the way back to the hall. Only the intervention of the one who named herself Erza had prevented the pair from engaging in a duel that would have most likely caused more damage than the efforts of the hollows.  
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Rukia watched Natsu. There was something strange about this one but so far, Rukia had been unable to decipher what. Even this close to the hall, the magical energies in the air seemed to swirl around him, almost visibly as golden strands. He seemed ancient and young simultaneously and the more that Rukia delved, the more terrible the power she saw within him. He seemed less like a creature of flesh and blood and more akin to a living maelstrom of fire and flame. Such a thing should have been impossible. As far as Rukia was concerned, Natsu should have been torn asunder by his own power.  
"What is it?" The voice of Ichigo beside her, snapped Rukia from her study of the dragon slayer. Ichigo's wary gaze was locked also upon Natsu although if the mage realised this, he gave no such comment to indicate any such knowledge or perhaps he simply did not care.  
"I..I don't know," Rukia answered quietly, "He just doesn't feel...right." For a moment she feared that perhaps she sounded paranoid. Her fears were put aside a mere second later as Ichigo nodded.  
"I can feel it too," he muttered, "Let's just keep our distance. I'd rather not piss this guy off."  
Nodding quietly, Rukia stayed close to Ichigo as the great doors of the guild hall swung open.

A cold gust of air swept into the guild hall as Erza pushed open the door and marched inside with her team and the Soul Reapers followed closely behind. Immediately the resident mages looked up from their activities. From the corner of the room Levy McGarden came rushing over, her blue hair swaying slightly as she clutched several arcane tomes to her chest. Although her eyes betrayed none of her fear, her voice was filled with a slight tone of panic.  
"Erza, what the hell is going on out there?!" she exclaimed as the other guild members came running over, each demanding an explanation and soon the vaulted chamber was filled with a series of voices, each blurring into another until they became an indecipherable mass. Slamming her fist down upon the wood of a nearby table, the red haired mage called for silence. The bang echoed loudly and immediately a dread silence fell upon the immense chamber.  
"Silence!" She exclaimed, her voice loud and commanding, forcing all other sounds into a submission. Her chocolate eyes scanned the crowd like a hawk searching for prey amongst the tall grass, daring someone to come out and challenge her authority. When no such suicidal fool came forth, Erza exhaled lightly before continuing. "We have encountered a new enemy, that is all I will say for now. Levy, come with us."  
The young woman hesitated for the briefest of moments before following Erza. Wendy Marvell, Happy and Carla also came padding over, each with a quizzical look on their faces as their minds tried to comprehend what was going on with the little information that they had been presented with. All together, the band headed deeper into the guild hall, leaving their comrades at a loss for words.  
Eventually, after making several turns and climbing a flight of stairs, they came to a door. The wood was a sturdy oak and ornately carved, no doubt having cost thousands of jewels. Reaching for an ornate locker, Erza noticed voices coming from the other side, muffled slightly but distinguishable all the same.  
"But Master Makarov, surely we should do something," Came the first voice, a gruff, gritty one undoubtedly belonging to a man, "Those _things_ completely destroyed the marketplace and would've destroyed the entire city if we hadn't prevented them."  
"And how do you propose we do that Gajeel?" Incredulously replied Makarov's dry, elderly voice, "We do not know yet what we face or the true extent of their abilities and threat."  
"Do you doubt my ability Old man?" Gajeel's reply came out as more of a wolf like growl than that of a mere question.  
"No I don't. You more than proved what you were capable of during your time with Phantom Lord." There was no reply for some time and Erza pictured Gajeel taken aback by Makarov's mention of the iron dragonslayer's shady past with the dark guild he and Juvia had once affiliated themselves to.  
Suddenly she heard Makarov sigh. "I know you lot are out there. Please stop skulking in the shadows and come and talk to us."  
Swinging open the door, Erza walked slowly in, making sure to reveal none of the surprise she felt in her face. How had Master Makarov known? Were her stealth skills severely lacking in places or was it some sixth sense gifted to the master by his powers.  
"What the hell!" Gajeel made no attempt to hide his surprise whatsoever,"Were you spying on us?"  
"Believe me Gajeel, there is no reason why we would want to spy on an angsty jerk like you." Snorted Natsu. Within half a heartbeat, Gajeel was towering over Natsu, his metal studded face contorted into an expression of barely suppressed rage.  
"You want to say that again? Go on, I dare you." he growled, baring his fang like incisors slightly.  
"Gladly. I said..."  
"Gentlemen if you are quite done, we have matters to attend to." The body of Rukia pushed itself between Natsu and Gajeel, forcibly separating to the two men with her arms outstretched, her voice filled with utter contempt.  
"Who the heck do you think you are, you little brat," roared Gajeel, grabbing the girl's shoulder to push her aide in his attempt to exact his payback upon Natsu. No sooner had he done this however, did Gajeel feel all of his joints lock up simultaneously as though bound by invisible snares. Muscles visibly under his skin, Gajeel tried to flex his arms in an attempt to break free only for him to find that they would not respond. Quickly losing his balance, the massive dragonslayer fell flat on his face with a thud that reverberated throughout the room. Rukia placed her left foot between his shoulder blades.  
"I said we have matters to attend to," she replied once again with authority. She looked up and glanced around at the other mages. No one immediately disputed her.  
"Please let him go!" Levy exclaimed suddenly, taking a furtive step forwards. Rukia considered quickly before waving her hand and allowing Gajeel to stand. Instantly Levy rushed to his side, aiding the musclebound behemoth in his attempt to regain his footing. Happy padded slowly over.  
"Wow, I've never seen anyone take down Gajeel that quickly before!" he exclaimed, "What did you do to him?"  
"A blue cat?" Rukia mused, raising an eyebrow steadily, "How interesting."  
"So his fur colour surprises you but not the fact that he _talks."_ Wendy's relatively quiet voice piped up from between Grey and Lucy. Ichigo chuckled slightly and glanced at the young girl.  
"Trust me kid, after all the crap we've been through, it takes a lot to surprise us."  
"Indeed," Rukia allowed herself a faint smiled, "To answer your question Blue Cat, it was merely a simple incantation; a kido. All Soul Reapers are trained to use it along with several others."  
"Yes that's all very well and good but will someone please tell me who these people are and what the hell is going on here!" demanded Master Makarov, effectively bringing an end to that particular conversation. Looking puzzled at one another, the mages sought to find an explanation that merited evesdropping on their master and flooring Gajeel with a single spell. Finally Erza stepped forward.  
"Pardon our interuption master but we believe we have information about the attack on the market. These "Soul Reapers " believe that they were evil spirits called hollows."  
Makarov scratched his beard slowly, as of considering something, while turning to face Levy. " Have you heard of either of these things? "

The young woman thought for a second before shaking her head. "Not of that I can recall but I can always recheck the records."  
"We have no reason to lie to you," Ichigo said, "We are under attack by a very real threat. Even as we speak we can feel more of them being drawn to this place. Something is driving the hollows and we must find out what before it is too late."  
Makarov pulled the pipe from his mouth and watched the smoke swirl into the air before slowly disapating. He nodded grimly.  
"Erza, Natsu. Take your team and investigate these things with your friends. Levy and Gajeel, I want you two to find out what you can before going off to help them."  
Gajeel glared at Rukia for a second before being pulled away by Levy. Erza, Natsu and the others nodded and turned to the Soul Reapers.  
"Thanks but there is much to do," Rukia muttered grimly, " If we are not already too late."


End file.
